ERBIL, Iraq, May 7 (UPI) -- Exports from an oil field in the Kurdish region of Iraq may proceed despite contract disputes between the regional government and Baghdad, executives say.
Heritage Oil said it has discovered oil at the Miran field in Sulaimaniya province, with expected yields passing 4 billion barrels of oil.
Ashti Hawrami, the Kurdistan Regional Government oil minister, called the find "excellent news, and we look forward to the Miran field exporting oil later this year," the Financial Times reports.
Heritage said it expects Miran to produce additional oil in associated structures.
Oil deals with the KRG are a point of contention with the Iraqi central government in Baghdad, which views unilateral Kurdish oil deals as a violation of the Iraqi Constitution.
Those disputes have delayed several projects in the Kurdish regions, though Paul Atherton, chief financial officer at Heritage, said he thinks progress in talks between both governments will bring exports online soon.
"We are confident we will be able to export oil," he said.
